Saturday, November 12, 2005

Another Saturday Night...

The Kentucky Wildcats took on the Vanderbilt Commodores at 2 PM this afternoon. The game finished with the Wildcats holding on 48-43. At halftime, it was 34-10. They are 2-4 in the SEC and 3-6 overall.

St. Louis Cardinal broadcaster Wayne Hagin has been replaced by the former voice of the Chicago White Sox John Rooney.

Rooney is "the cream of the crop," Fox Sports broadcaster Joe Buck said. "He’s a guy who has direct ties to the St. Louis area, a guy who was a dear friend of my dad’s and a guy who has fun while he broadcasts and does a great job with the play-by-play. He’s everything you’d want.

"That being said, I thought Wayne did a great job and I thought he did a great job in a tough situation, taking over for my dad. I don’t think Wayne could have done a better job. I feel bad that didn’t work out."

The changes come three months after the club announced that it is moving its radio broadcasts from KMOX, where they have been for the last 51 seasons, to KTRS.

"I was very surprised," Hagin said. "I absolutely have fallen in love with St. Louis, with its people, with the baseball fans, and I wanted this to be my final spot. It was THE perfect place for me.

"But events have changed that. I have a family to take care of, and I will take care of them."

Rooney was the first choice for the job after Buck's death, when it was decided that Joel Meyers -- who had filled in during 2002 -- would not be the full-time replacement.

But Rooney was under contract with the White Sox, and the search turned elsewhere. Hagin, who had been with the Colorado Rockies, ended up with the job.

"It’s the age old line -- you don’t want to be the guy taking over for the guy, but you want to be the guy taking over for the guy who took over for the guy," Joe Buck said. "That’s the nature of it.

"Wayne Hagin, I’m sure, is going to have teams lined up to sign him to do their radio. It would have been tough for anybody, I don’t care who it was, stepping into that situation. I don’t think Wayne could have handled it any better."

Rooney ended up without a job in Chicago after the White Sox won the World Series last month, as that team also is switching flagship radio stations.

What are your thoughts on the change? Do you think it will be a good combination with Mike Shannon and John Rooney?

Media Matters takes a look at the Tim Kaine victory from this past Tuesday evening.

The New York Times speaks with both Jason Jones and Samantha Bee. Both are correspondents on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

According to the Washington Post, the Democratic Party has been outraised by the GOP and has less money in the bank. How should we respond to that? For one, the GOP is big business so that makes since with them having larger contributions while the Democrats are the party of the people--who don't make nearly as much unless they are a CEO, lawyer, doctor, or other profession that brings in a lot of dough. Regardless, look at Tuesday evening's results. Had Howard Dean came to Virginia to campaign with Kaine, there's no doubt that that would have been the kiss of death for the campaign (That is not to be seen as an attack but rather a hypothetical scenario).

Now, the latest financial numbers are prompting new doubts. From January through September, the Republican National Committee raised $81.5 million, with $34 million remaining in the bank. The Democratic National Committee, by contrast, showed $42 million raised and $6.8 million in the bank.

"The degree to which the fundraising has not been competitive is obviously troublesome," said former congressman Vic Fazio (D-Calif.), who is now a lobbyist here. He expressed confidence in Tom McMahon, Dean's executive director at the DNC.

One House Democratic leadership aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve relations with Dean's operation, put it more bluntly: "There is plenty of time, but the red flashing sirens should be going off there."[...]

As critics see it, Dean has disappointed on two fronts. The DNC has not replicated the success of Dean's presidential campaign two years ago in tapping vast numbers of new and smaller contributors over the Internet. And skeptics say he has not yet established rapport with and won the confidence of high-dollar donors.

DNC officials acknowledge that elements of their fundraising operation have started more slowly than expected. But they and other Dean defenders say his record should be viewed in context.[...]

Finney noted that the DNC has staff in 38 states and will have organizers in every state by the year's end. She also noted that it donated $5 million to the winning gubernatorial campaign of Virginia Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

We have got to raise loads of money at this point if we expect to win.

South Dakota Dems predict victory in 2006. The bigger question in my opinion is what will Senator Tom Daschle do?

• Johnson said he doesn't know of any intentions Aberdeen native and former Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle has to run for political office in the future.

In recent days, Daschle has been traveling and making public policy speeches critical of President Bush. "If (Daschle) shows up in New Hampshire next week, I'm going to be suspicious," Johnson joked Friday.

New Hampshire, in election years, is the first state to hold a presidential primary election.

• Huron attorney Ron Volesky, a former Democratic legislator, was at the turkey dinner fund-raiser. He's South Dakota's only announced candidate for governor, although Republican Gov. Mike Rounds is expected to seek reelection.

But Bouchard told The Indianapolis Star on Friday that he is ready to do something different, although he has not identified what that is.

Bouchard, who headed the New Hampshire operation of former presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark in 2004, said he hasn't spoken with any of the other potential 2008 candidates about joining their campaigns.

"I really haven't given that any thought. I just literally have no plans," he said. "We had a great year, and I want to try something different next year."

Bayh's spokesman described the split as amicable. Bayh, in an e-mail to supporters, praised Bouchard and said he hoped to "have the opportunity to work together in the very near future."

Bayh and Bouchard said the PAC met or exceeded its goals for the first year.By midyear, the last time disclosure reports were available, Bayh had raised $1.17 million with his PAC, more than any other potential Democratic presidential candidate with a federal PAC.

Bayh has used some of that money to travel around the U.S. this year, introducing himself to Democratic activists and voters.

Bouchard helped organize Bayh's two visits to New Hampshire, including his speech to about 600 Democrats at a recent state party fundraising dinner.

Bayh spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said a search is under way for a new PAC director.

"It is impossible to argue that 2005 was anything but a great year for the All America PAC," Pfeiffer said, "and he is very confident that 2006 will be even better."

I was able to meet the Senator in August so it was a great year for me as today is the anniversary of the state that I OFFICIALLY endorsed Evan Bayh for President in 2008...at exactly the same time of this post! How cool is that?!?

I know that I am an avid SNL watcher but I will not be watching tomorrow as I will be watching the second part of Category 7 on CBS come Sunday night after The West Wing.

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Some info:Though a Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts fan, The Kentucky Democrat is currently based in Louisville, KY after relocating to Chicago only to have to move back due to the economic recession. Solzman is a social commentator on sports, politics, and entertainment. Solzman currently writes a number of book reviews for The Kentucky Democrat in the categories of sports, humor, entertainment, politics, American history, and select fiction and science-fiction.

If you would like for Solzman to review a book, please feel free to get in touch with him. Kentucky Wildcats: 2012 National Champions St. Louis Cardinals: 2011 World Series Champions! Boston Celtics: 2008 World Champions! Indianapolis Colts: 2007 Super Bowl Champions
"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."--Ted Kennedy, 1980Contact Me.Redbirds Fun